Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. 25, 1938. H. DARBYSHIRE ET AL 2,134,106

TING APPARATUS Filed March 1l, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l Minna/nii UCL 25, 1938. H. DARBYSHIRE ET AL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 4 sheet-sheet 2 Filed March l1, 1935 INVENTORS. 6724 ri /95 .kf-

Oct. 25, 1938. L. H. DARBYsl-IIRE ET A1. 2,134,106

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 11, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 25, 1938. L. H. DARBYSHIRE ET AL 2,134,106

REFRIGERATING' APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March ll, 1936 FQ /l0 /02 Patented Oct. 25, 1938 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Leonard H. Darbyshire and Oscar E. Norberg,

Detroit, and Herbert Morley, Grosse Pointe,

Mich., assgnors to Borg-Warner Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application Marchvll, 1936, Serial No. v68,230

9 Claims. (Cl. 68-89) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus in general and has particular reference to the construction of shelving and the arrangement thereof Within a heat'insulated compartment, such as a provision compartment of a refrigerating apparatus.

A principal object of the` invention is to provide a novel form of container or receptacle adapted for use in a provision compartment of a refrigerating apparatus.

Another object of the invention is toprovide anovel and more eiicienty arrangementof shelving and receptacles within a provision compartment of a refrigerating apparatus. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of drawer construction for the provision compartment of a refrigerating apparatus whereby the materials and provisions storedv within the provision compartment of a refrigerating apparatus are rendered more accessible.

Another object of the invention is to provide a provision compartment having a cooling means disposed therein and a novel arrangement of the space and distribution of the shelves with respect to the cooling means so as to utilize more eiliciently the space adjacent said cooling means.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, there is disposed within a heat insulated provision compartment ofa refrigerating apparatus, a cooling means or evaporator, disposed adjacent the top thereof and dividing the space betweenvthe side walls at -the upper portion of the provision compartment into two spaces preferably of unequal. size, with a shelf extending transversely of the provision compartment below the cooling means and arranged to support a defrosting tray immediately below the cooling means and ymovable shelves or baskets upon each side of the cooling means, all of the shelving being constructed and arranged so as to permit a substantially unimpaired circulation of air within the provision compartment and in heat exchange relationship with the cooling means and whatever provisions may be disposed upon said shelves. f

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which there are four sheets, and

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the upper portion of a heat insulated provision compartment provided with cooling means internally thereof and illustrating the relative disposition of the shelves, baskets and defrosting tray with respect to the cooling means, the door of the provision compartment being in part broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the lower i' portion of vthe provision compartment and illus- GQ trating in elevation one of the shelf baskets in one ofthe positions such shelf basket may assume when withdrawn from the provision compartment;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shelf which extends `transversely of the provision compartment immediately below the cooling means therein, the shelf baskets and defrosting tray having been removed;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views'of the shelf taken along the lines 44, 5 5 and 6"-6, respectively, of Fig. 3; f

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the shelf illustrating certain details of construction there- Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view taken on the Y line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of 'one of the shelf baskets;

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view of the shelf basket illustrated in Fig. 10, and taken on the line II--ll thereof;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional vie'w of a4 portion of the shelfbasket illustrated in Fig. 10, and

illustrating a detail thereof and taken on the line l2-I2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of another form of shelf basket and which is adapted -to be supported upon the shelf illustrated in Fig. 3, and

to be disposed upon that side of thecooling means opposite that on which the shelf basket illustrated in Fig. 10 is disposed;

Fig. 14 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the shelf basket illustrated in Fig. 13, and taken along the line I4-I4 thereof;

Fig. 15 is a rear elevation of the lower portion of the shelf basket illustrated in Fig. 13, and taken along the line I5-l5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a side elevational view illustrating amodied form of the shelf basket illustrated in Fig. 10;

Fig. 17 is a horizontal sectional view of the bottom of the modied form of shelf basket illustrat- Icompartment 20 may be provided 'with a cooling means, indicated generally 'at 24, and disposed within the upper portion of the compartment 2 0, spaced `from the side walls thereof, and exposed to the air within the compartment 28 so that the air may circulate in heat exchange relationship therewith. The cooling means or evaporator 24 is adapted to absorb the heat from the provision compartment 2D and may comprise a portion of a conventional refrigerating system of the compressor, condenser, expander type. The evaporator 24 preferably is provided internally thereof .with a freezer compartment through which access may be had through the door 26, with a manually operated switch 28 which controls the operation of the compressor driving means, and with an adjustable control switch 30 which is adapted automatically to control the operation of the refrigerating system for maintaining the temperature within the rprovision compartment within desired limits.

In addition to the shelving means disposed within the bottom portion of the heat insulated compartment 20, there is provided a shelf 32, extending transversely of the provision compartment and spaced below the bottom of the Vevaporator 24, so as to accommodate upon the shelf 32, a defrosting tray 34 below the evaporator 24 for receiving the drip therefrom, such as occurs when the evaporator is being defrosted. The shelf 32 is also arranged to support upon the upper side thereof and between the evaporator and the sides of the provision compartment, a pair of removable shelves or baskets 36 and 38. The

space above the basket 36 may be divided by a pair of shelves 48 which extend between the side walls of the provision compartment and the evaporator 24, while the space above the basket 38, preferably is left unobstructed so as to provide a space along side of the evaporator 24 particularly designed for the storage of bottles in an upright condition. The baskets 36 and 38, the shelves 4l) and 32, and the shelving means within the lower portion of the provision compartment preferably are formed, of Wire so as to permit the free and substantially unimpaired circulation of air within the provision compartment, it being understood that air within the compartment circulates in heat exchange relationship with the evaporator 24 and with the food stuffs and other materials disposed within the compartment, and it is essential if adequate refrigeration is to be provided within the entire compartment, that no impediment be offered to the circulation of air Within the provision compartment 28.

The shelf 32 comprises, referring to Figs. 3 through 9, a rectangular frame of relatively heavy wire, bridged at one end by a pair of guides 42 which are adapted to slidingly or niovably support the basket 36, and at the opposite end by a second pair of guides 44 upon which the basket 38 is adapted to be supported for sliding movement, a pair of rails 46 which are adapted to support the basket 38 against tipping, a reinforcing frame member 48 extending between one of the rails 46 and .an opposite portion of the heavy rectangular frame of the shelf 32, and a series of relatively light wires 50 extending between the front and rear portions of the rectangular frame member of the shelf 32 and between the guides 42 and the guides 44 and upon which shelf portion, provided by the series of wire 50, the defrosting tray 34 is adapted to be supported, the outside wires of the series of wires 50 being formed `to providel guides 52 for guiding the defrosting tray.

The side walls of the provision compartment may be provided with any suitable means, such as pins 54 upon which the shelf 32 is supported.

als/1,106

The shelves 40 and the shelving means within the lower portion of the provision compartment also may be supported by pins carried by the side walls of the provision compartment, and in the case of the shelves 40, also by pins carried by the side of the evaporator 24. As illustrated in Fig 7, 8 and 9, the wires 58, which extend between the front and rear portions of the main frame member of the shelf 32, may be curled around the outside edge of the frame member as illustrated at 56 and welded or otherwise secured thereto. This construction provides a smooth finished exterior surface for the shelf, provides a better joint between the main frame of the shelf and the shelf wires thereof, and eliminates exposed sharp or jagged edges which would make the shelf diicult to handle and clean. The wires 50, the guides 42 and 44, the rails 46 and the reinforcing frame member 48 may be secured together by welding or soldering or in any other suitable manner.

A light 58, again referring to Figs. 1 and 2, is provided Within the compartment 28 and supported adjacent the rear wall thereof just above the elevation of the shelf 32. The defrosting tray 34, at the back thereof, may be provided with a recess portion 60 complementary to the shape of the light bulb 58 and for accommodating the same.

The basket 38, as appearing in Figs. 13, 14 and 15, which is adapted to be movably supported upon the right hand end of the shelf 32, looking at Fig. 1, is provided with a bottom shelf portion 62 and an upper shelf portion 64, the bottom shelf portion being enclosed except for an opening immediately below the shelf portion 64 on the evaporator side of the basket 38, and thel upper shelf portion being provided with a guard portion 66 extending therearound so as to prevent the accidental displacement from the shelf portion 64 of bottles which may be supported thereon during movement of the basket 38 into and out of the provision compartment.

The basket 38, as illustrated,lis formed of a bottom frame member 68, apair of side frame members 18 joined to the bottom frame member 68 at the front and rear thereof, a plurality of vertical frame members 12 connectingl horizontally disposed portions of the side frame members 'l0 with the bottom frame member 68, a plurality of horizontally disposed reinforcing frame members 'I4 connecting the side frame members 10, the vertical frame members 12 and opposite portions of the bottom framemember 68, and a handle 'I6 connecting opposite vertically disposed portions of the side frame members 10 at the front thereof. A series of relatively small wires T8 are secured to the horizontal frame members 14 and the bottom frame member 68 for enclosing the front, bottom and rear of the basket 38, the horizontally disposed portion of the series of wires 18 forming the shelfrportion 62. A plurality of horizontally disposed wires 80 are secured to the frame members 12 and 10 for closing in the sides of the basket 38 except for the opening which lis provided on the evaporator side of the basket 38 immediately below the shelf portion 64. The shelf portion 64 is formed by a The longest sides of the frame member 68 are v v adapted to be slidingly supported by the guides the shelf portion 62 being provided through an opening in the evaporator side thereof.

The frame member 68, at the rear thereof, is provided with a guide member 82 secured to the under side thereof, the laterally extending portions of which are adapted to engage the underside of the rails 46 for securing the carriage 38 against tipping when the same is moved forwardly on the shelf 32. The rails 46, at'the rear thereof, are spaced far apart so as to permit the engagement of the guide member 82 wit-h the under side of the rails 46, and a stop member 84 is secured to the rails 46 adjacent the front thereof for limiting the forward movement of the carriage 38.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12, there is illustrated another form of shelf basket, somewhat like the one illustrated in Fig. 15, and which shelf basket is adapted to be supported upon the shelf 32 on the left hand side of the evaporator 24, looking at Fig. 1. The shelf -basket 36 is of wire construction like the shelf basket 38 and comprises a relatively heavy wire bottom rectangular frame member 86, a pair of side frame members 88, a plurality of cross' frame members 90 connecting oppositely disposed portions of the side frame members 88 and the bottom frame member 86, one of the frame members 90 at the front of the shelf basket 36, being formed to provide a hand grip 92, a plurality of vertically disposed frame members 94 connecting the sidey frame members 88 with some of the cross frame members 90, a series of vwires 96 secured to some of the cross frame members 90 and covering the front and bottom of the shelf basket 36 and portions of the top and rear thereof, other series 98 of wires enclosing the opposite sides of the basket 36 and secured to the vertical frame members 04 and to the front and rear vertically disposed portions of the side frame members 88, and another series |00 of wires extending transversely of the basket 36 for dividing the same into a plurality of compartments and secured to certain of the vertical frame members 94. The baskets 36 and also 38, it will be observed, are thus constructed entirely of wire suitably secured together, such as by a spot welding or soldering which provides strong rigid baskets fc supporting provisions, and through which baskets the circulating air within the provision compartment may freely pass.

The side portions of the bottom frame member 86 are adapted to be engaged by the guides 42 for supporting the basket 36 for sliding movement. The portion of the bottom frame member 86, extending across the rear of the basket 36, is provided with a pair of spaced brackets |02 winch serve as a stop for limiting the forward movement of the basket 36 relative to the shelf by engaging the transversely extending front portion of the main frame member of the shelf 32 between the pins |04, which pins |04 serve to prevent lateral shifting of the basket 36 when the members |02 are engaged with the front portion of the frame member4 of the shelf 32, because at this time, the side portions of the frame member 86 of the basket 36 have been moved forwardly-out of engagement with the guides 42. The basket 36n may then be tipped downwardly about the front of the shelf as a pivot and the forward bottom portion of the basket 36 may be rested .upon 'the outside of the throat lining of the provision door opening. As the top of the shelf basket 36 is open, access may be readily had to the various sub-compartments therein, it being observed that the partitions between these various sub-compartments, formed by the series of wires |00, and at such time as the shelf basket 36 is disposed in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, act as shelves, one arranged substantially above the other. Th'e flat transverse frame members 90, extending between the side frame members 88 at the top of the shelf basket 36, form a rail or fence across the front of the partitions at such time as the shelf basket 36 is disposed in a position such as that illustrated in Fig. 2, for preventing the accidental displacement of any provisions contained Within the sub-compartments in the shelfbasket 36.

The shelf basket-36 is substantially` of a depth equal to the distance between the shelf 32 and the next adjacent shelf 40 thereabove, and it may readily be observed that the shelf basket 36 provides a container by means of which a very efficient utilization of the space between such shelves may be had as well as making it extremely convenient to obtain access to anything stored in any of the sub-compartments of the shelf basket 36.

In Figs. 16, 17 and 18, there is illustrated a. modied form of construction for the shelf basket 36 wherein the bottom of the shelf basket is made so as to be separable from the remaining portion of the shelf basket. In this modification, a substantially rectangularly shaped shelf section |06 is provided, and which section |06 is adapted to be supported in the guideways 42 so as to form with the remainder of the shelf 32, a shelf construction wherein portions thereof disposed at the same elevation are relatively movable. The shelf section |06 is provided with a pair of members |02 which are adapted to engage the transversely extending portion of the frame member of the shelf 32 at the front thereof so as to limit the forward movement of the shelf section |06.

The upper portion of this modified form of shelf basket construction is generally like the constructionlof the shelf basket 36 except that the upper portion, indicate'dgenerally at |08, is provided with an independent frame so as to be structurally rigid when independent of the shelf section |06. The upper portion |08 is provided with a pair of hooks ||0 spaced apart a'nd at thel rear thereof for engaging the back of the frame of the shelf section |06, andthe front portion of' the upper section |08 is provided with a pair of spring clips ||2, which are adapted to snap over the front portion of the shelf section |06 and thereby secure the upper portion |08 to the shelf section |06, so that when the parts are thus assembled, they will be substantially like the shelf basket 36 and may be used in exactly the same way. The principal object of providing the removable upper portion |08 is to permit the shelf section |06 to be used independently when the basket feature is not desired. In this instance, the handle ||4 may be provided on the shelf section |06. v

The shelf 32, it will be observed, supports in addition to the defrosting tray 34, the shelf baskets 36 and 38. The shelf basket 38, in addition to providing a movable carriage or support for relatively tall objects, such as bottles, provides below the bottle support, a storage 'place for various small sized provisions, and because of the movability of the shelf basket 38, access may readily be had to anything stored within the basket 38. The open work construction of the shelf baskets 36 and 3B does not impede the free circulation of air within the provision compartment and enables such circulating air to pass in heat exchange relationship with anything disposed within such basket 36 or 38.

While the invention has been described with some detail, it is to be understood that the description is for the purpose of illustration only and is not definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

We claim:

1. In combination; a heat insulated compart-` ment, cooling means disposed therein adjacent the top thereof and spaced from the side walls thereof, a shelf extending transversely of such compartment and spaced below said coolingv means, a drip tray supported by said shelf below said cooling means, guide means on said shelf on both sides of said cooling means, open work containers mounted for sliding movement in each of said guide means, one of said containers being accessible from the top thereof and the other from a side thereof when same have been moved outwardly from said compartment, and shelf means extending between one of the side walls of said compartment and said cooling means and disposed above one of said containers for preventing accessibility thereto from above while same is in normal position under saidshelf means, said shelf means, containers and shelf upon which said containers are mounted being so constructed as to permit a substantially unimpaired circulation of air therethrough and in heat exchange relationship with provisions stored in such containers and upon such shelves.

2. In combination, a heat insulated chamber provided with cooling means spaced from the side walls thereof, a shelf extending transversely of said chamber, a basket supported for sliding movement upon said shelf between said cooling means and one of the side walls of said chamber,

' said basket providing a compartment therein, and

an opening in a side of the basket affording access to said compartment when said basket has been moved out from between said cooling means and said one of said side walls.

3. In combination, a heat insulated compartment provided with cooling means therein spaced from the side walls thereof, a basket adapted to be supported within said compartment between said cooling means and one of the side walls of said compartment and mounted for movement into and out of said compartment, and an opening in said basket affording access to the interior thereof, the opening to the interior of said basket being obstructed by said cooling means when said basket is in normal position within the compart, ment and being exposed when said basket is moved out of said compartment, said basket being so constructed and arranged as to permit substantially free circulation of air therethrough and in heat exchange relationship with articles contained within said basket.

4. Shelf 4structure'for a heat insulated compartment provided with means for cooling the same, and comprising a shelf in said compartment, a basket, means for supporting said basket.

for sliding movement relative to said shelf, and cooperating means on said shelf and on said basket and adapted to permit the pivoting thereof with respect to said shelf after said basket has reached the end of its sliding travel relative to the shelf, said basket having a front closing means substantially overlapping the top thereof and serving as a front and bottom of said basket while in its pivoted position.

5. In combination, a heat insulated compartment provided with means for cooling the same, a drip tray adapted to be disposed beneath said cooling means and provided with a pocket therein, and a light disposed within said compartment and adapted to be received in said pocket of said drip tray when the same is disposed in position beneath said cooling means'l 6. In combination with a heat insulated compartment provided withl means for cooling same, a door opening for providing access to said compartment, a shelf in said compartment, a basket slidably mounted on said shelf and having means thereon for engaging a forward portion of said shelf upon the withdrawal of said basket from said compartment for permitting at such time of withdrawal angular motion of said basket relative to said shelf, the distance between said means and the front edge of said basket being substantially equal to the distance between said forward portion of said shelf and the front bottom edge of said door opening so that the forward portion of said basket may be supported by said edge of said door opening when moved angularly about said forward portion of said shelf.

'7 In combination, a heat insulated compartment provided with means for cooling the same,

a shelf in said compartment, a receptacle sup-v ported by said shelf and open at the top to ai'ford access to the interior thereof, said receptacle being supported for sliding movement by said shelf from a position over said shelf to a position where said receptacle overhangs said shelf, and cooperating means provided on a rear portion of saidreceptacle and a front portion of said shelf providing a connection for supporting said receptacle when the same is tilted materially downwardly relative to said shelf, the front of said receptacle being constructed so as to support and retain provisions in said receptacle when the same is in a tilted position.

8. The construction as defined in claim 'l' wherein the receptacle is provided with a partition extending thereacross, said partition providing a horizontally arranged shelf when said receptacle is in a tilted position.

9. In combination, a heat insulated compartment provided with means for cooling the same, a shelf in said compartment provided with a stationary section and a relatively movable shelf I 

